Customer Rating: 
Summary: I'm sure it's a great book...
Comment: Just don't buy it as the very first Christmas gift for your new girlfriend, after dating 9 months. Especially when she tells you she's not into Jazz. Guess what, buying her this book...WILL NOT MAKE HER APPRECIATE IT ANY MORE.
Customer Rating:
Summary: You Owe Your Child (and Yourself) This Book
Comment: First the book - buy the book. And as much as you'll love it, anyone under the age of 13 (the book's main target) will love it FACTOR 10. A treat for the eye with art work and photographs that make adults check the title page for a photographer (unlisted - Frank Stewart? is that you?) A treat for the mind as well. Reading Marsalis' text out loud is a fantastic elixer for verbal sophistication with vibe. An even more intense dosage (which some of us need) is found in his "Sweet Swung Blues . . ."
Now, the point of this book is music theory. Can Wynton teach your child that which you - a grown man with complete power over child-proof lids - cannot understand? You know how as a little kid, you'd watch TV (say, ScoobyDoo) and the picture would be a little out of focus? Then your dad would come in and adjust the rabbit ears and - blammo! instant clarity! This is Marsalis discribing music theory. Blammo! Instant clarity!
It is not as good as the videos by the same name, but it fulfills a very worthwhile endeavor of capturing both the information and presentation of these worldclass videos. The special audio CD included with the book is worth the price of the book - easily.
Next - the man. Wynton Marsalis is a 20th and 21st century genius. Don't let anyone tell you differently, especially music critics(see also: non-musicians). Three minutes of hearing him play (_especially_ live - don't ever miss him live) is all the defense this paragraph needs.
